I heard today that San Fran had only 2 guys on IR.
I know their studs, Alden Smith, Justin Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Patrick Willis, Novorro Bowman, the DB Gholston, and all the others are still out there, physical and healthy.

At the same time, we have 4 starting LBers out in Matthews, Perry, Bishop, Smith, plus Woodson, Shields, CJ Wilson went down tonight. Zombo is always hurt.

On offense, Greg Jennings out all the time, Benson......

I know a few years back, McCarthy fired the trainer and think it was because he was tired of the injuries.
Yet it happens every year to us more than almost (or all) any other teams.
2010 was the same as this..... 2011 had us lose Nick Collins forever, among other ones.

Is this 100% bad luck, time & time again?Is there an equipment problem?Is there a vitamin/supplement problem, taking stuff that teams like SF aren't?

Is there a training problem?

I'm inclined to say it is 100% bad luck, but am getting tired of that.
I want to dish out the pain & punishment, not lose guys like the front line of the marines. This is bullschit.

Where do you get your info sir? I think the 49ers IR list is significantly longer, like 7 or 8 deep.

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Actually it's 6. 2 of them insignificant.
Packers have 9 not including the guy we cut from IR, the one we haven't bothered to put on IR, and Collins who had to be cut before the season. All of the current IR starters or primary backups with only one exception.

Actually it's 6. 2 of them insignificant.
Packers have 9 not including the guy we cut from IR, the one we haven't bothered to put on IR, and Collins who had to be cut before the season. All of the current IR starters or primary backups with only one exception.

I don't consider having only three players on IR at this stage to be "a lot".

Everyone else is expected to play. That's pretty damned lucky.

SF is essentially playing their Week 1 starters (less the 3 above, but including five All-Pros) against a team that is currently starting a RB who was selling cars a month ago, an inexperienced center (few starts), a rookie street FA right tackle with 7 games of experience, and a third string ILB.

In total, the Packers are starting 9 (of 22) players with less than two years of real experience.

Not whining here. Just the facts.

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It is not the quantity that really matters, but how essential they are to the type of game the team plays.

For instance, Kyle Williams being out would not be a big deal in itself, but with Mario Manningham also out, that leaves only two full time WRs in the game, Crabtree and Moss. I am convinced we lost to NY last year because we only had one full time receiver, and he could not break free and get open. It is still better than the position we were in in the playoffs last year, but that could really hurt our passing game.

The 49ers are dynamic on the ground game, and Hunter being out really hurts us, although we are blessed with some depth there, because our backup RB is very fast and he will get a chance to prove himself.

The 49ers special teams and defensive injuries are more critical.

The 49ers play a physical defense, conservative offense game which relies a lot on sniping away with the points. Having our kicker dicey due to injury is a huge problem for us, especially in a playoff game that is expected to be decided by a field goal.

Smith is potentially the most important player on the team and he is severely injured. He is expected to be cleared to start, but it is unclear if he will be able to stay in the game or, even if he does, that he will be the lynchpin of the defense that he usually is. His backup is a joke. A lot of the rest of the defense is pretty banged up too.

The only good thing is, most teams also are suffering serious injuries to important players.

But you have to remember, it is the quality of the player, not the quantity of the injuries that matter.

If San Francisco loses its QB, the 49ers chances do not really decrease. If the Packers lose their starting QB, I doubt they will go anywhere in the playoffs.

On the other hand, I doubt the Packers defensive tackles are nearly as important as Justin Smith, although I am not familiar with their roster, so I could be wrong.

The only good thing is Candlestick has real grass, so which ever team wins is more likely to suffer less injuries than if they were playing on that artificial garbage.

It is not the quantity that really matters, but how essential they are to the type of game the team plays.

The 49ers special teams and defensive injuries are more critical.

The 49ers play a physical defense, conservative offense game which relies a lot on sniping away with the points. Having our kicker dicey due to injury is a huge problem for us, especially in a playoff game that is expected to be decided by a field goal.

But you have to remember, it is the quality of the player, not the quantity of the injuries that matter.

If San Francisco loses its QB, the 49ers chances do not really decrease. If the Packers lose their starting QB, I doubt they will go anywhere in the playoffs.

On the other hand, I doubt the Packers defensive tackles are nearly as important as Justin Smith, although I am not familiar with their roster, so I could be wrong.

The only good thing is Candlestick has real grass, so which ever team wins is more likely to suffer less injuries than if they were playing on that artificial garbage.

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I love how you guys think our QB is the only guy worth half a spit on our team. Rest of our boys might as well be scrubs I guess because they are unimportant, and overall irrelevant. I'm going to love it if and when our scrub boys rub your probowlers off the map. All because of one man.

Oh and Raji is the Smith equivalent here, and I forget if he actually missed a game while playing on that injured ankle. Before you say it, Justin's injury is more serious and will affect his play more.

I love how you guys think our QB is the only guy worth half a spit on our team. Rest of our boys might as well be scrubs I guess because they are unimportant, and overall irrelevant. I'm going to love it if and when our scrub boys rub your probowlers off the map. All because of one man.

Oh and Raji is the Smith equivalent here, and I forget if he actually missed a game while playing on that injured ankle. Before you say it, Justin's injury is more serious and will affect his play more.

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But most of our guys are replaceable, even the really good ones. Our super-stars are Matthews and Rodgers, with Cobb having a chance to be a third.

You're overstating Raji's importance. Losing Smith is more like losing Matthews. Those two make the other 10 better. Raji just makes the job of a few players easier.

It is not the quantity that really matters, but how essential they are to the type of game the team plays.

For instance, Kyle Williams being out would not be a big deal in itself, but with Mario Manningham also out, that leaves only two full time WRs in the game, Crabtree and Moss. I am convinced we lost to NY last year because we only had one full time receiver, and he could not break free and get open. It is still better than the position we were in in the playoffs last year, but that could really hurt our passing game.

The 49ers are dynamic on the ground game, and Hunter being out really hurts us, although we are blessed with some depth there, because our backup RB is very fast and he will get a chance to prove himself.

The 49ers special teams and defensive injuries are more critical.

The 49ers play a physical defense, conservative offense game which relies a lot on sniping away with the points. Having our kicker dicey due to injury is a huge problem for us, especially in a playoff game that is expected to be decided by a field goal.

Smith is potentially the most important player on the team and he is severely injured. He is expected to be cleared to start, but it is unclear if he will be able to stay in the game or, even if he does, that he will be the lynchpin of the defense that he usually is. His backup is a joke. A lot of the rest of the defense is pretty banged up too.

The only good thing is, most teams also are suffering serious injuries to important players.

But you have to remember, it is the quality of the player, not the quantity of the injuries that matter.

If San Francisco loses its QB, the 49ers chances do not really decrease. If the Packers lose their starting QB, I doubt they will go anywhere in the playoffs.

On the other hand, I doubt the Packers defensive tackles are nearly as important as Justin Smith, although I am not familiar with their roster, so I could be wrong.

The only good thing is Candlestick has real grass, so which ever team wins is more likely to suffer less injuries than if they were playing on that artificial garbage.

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There is a similar discussion on another thread. I understand your points.

Certainly, it is not all about "quantity". But, if you take a look at the Packer losses this year, they are definitely key parts of the team.

Example: For a team that is trying to strike a run-pass balance in order to keep Rodgers upright, losing our starting 1000-yard RB in Cedric Benson sucked. Then, his backup went down leaving us with a 2nd year guy who was essentially a rookie as he spent the first year on IR with a ACL tear (Green). When that didn't work out so well, we brought in a guy who was selling used cars a month ago (Harris). Having an unheralded noobie RB at this point in the post-season is kind of a big deal. Especially against the 49ers who can key in on our MVP QB. Oh, we also lost our only FB for part of the season.

Another example: The Packers WR attack is our weapon of choice. Yet, our #1 receiver spent 2/3 of the season on the sidelines. Then, our #2 receiver (Nelson) went down. Then, our dynamite slot receiver (Cobb) went down. We have had only one receiver not miss any games this season (Jones). We've been giving Rodgers undrafted rookies to throw at lately. Not good.

Another example: Only one O-lineman has survived the season without missing games (Newhouse). And, the only reason Newhouse is in is because we lost our recent #1 pick LT (Sherrod) for the season. We've lost our starting RT (Bulaga on IR), our starting RG, our starting LG, and our starting C at some point throughout the season. Currently, we are starting an undrafted rookie at RT (who has only 7 starts in his career) and a backup at C.

Another example: Our only intimidating ILB (Bishop) was lost for the season. Then, his backup was lost for the season. We currently are starting a 3rd string guy (B. Jones) who was recently converted from OLB and had previously been cut from the team.

Another example: During the course of the season, we lost our starting CB (Shields) for half the season and our future HOFer and team leader (Woodson) for most of the season. Untested rookies took their places all season long.

Another example: We lost our Pro-Bowl Saftey (Nick Collins) last year to a freak neck injury. Unfortunately, at the start of this season, the Packer let him go to protect his health and he seemingly had to retire. Huge loss.

Another example: Clay Matthews is EQUALLY as important to the Packers as Justin Smith is to the 49ers. Though he is back now, Clay was out for a bunch of games with hamstring issues.

So, yes, we have large quantities of injuries. But, they have really hurt this team. Which is why, imo, we didn't go 15-1 (like last season) and why the game is being played in Candlestick rather than in GB.

And, lastly-- the comment about Akers... GB has Crosby who is the highest paid but lowest ranked FG kicker in the league. Touche!

There is a similar discussion on another thread. I understand your points.

Certainly, it is not all about "quantity". But, if you take a look at the Packer losses this year, they are definitely key parts of the team.

Example: For a team that is trying to strike a run-pass balance in order to keep Rodgers upright, losing our starting 1000-yard RB in Cedric Benson sucked. Then, his backup went down leaving us with a 2nd year guy who was essentially a rookie as he spent the first year on IR with a ACL tear (Green). When that didn't work out so well, we brought in a guy who was selling used cars a month ago. Having an unheralded noobie RB at this point in the post-season is kind of a big deal. Especially against the 49ers who can key in on our MVP QB. Oh, we also lost our only FB for part of the season.

Another example: The Packers WR attack is our weapon of choice. Yet, our #1 receiver spent 2/3 of the season on the sidelines. Then, our #2 receiver (Nelson) went down. Then, our dynamite slot receiver (Cobb) went down. We have had only one receiver not miss any games this season (Jones). We've been giving Rodgers undrafted rookies to throw at lately. Not good.

Another example: Only one O-lineman has survived the season without missing games (Newhouse). We've lost our starting RT, our starting RG, our starting LG, and our starting C at some point throughout the season. Currently, we are starting an undrafted rookie at RT and a backup at C.

Another example: Our only intimidating ILB (Bishop) was lost for the season. Then, his backup was lost for the season. We currently are starting a 3rd string guy (B. Jones) who was recently converted from OLB and had previously been cut from the team.

Another example: During the course of the season, we lost our starting CB (Shields) for half the season and our future HOFer and team leader (Woodson) for most of the season. Untested rookies took their places all season long.

Another example: Clay Matthews is EQUALLY as important to the Packers as Justin Smith is to the 49ers. Though he is back now, Clay was out for a bunch of games with hamstring issues.

So, yes, we have large quantities of injuries. But, they have really hurt this team. Which is why, imo, we didn't go 15-1 (like last season) and why the game is being played in Candlestick rather than in GB.

And, lastly-- the comment about Akers... GB has Crosby who is the highest paid but lowest ranked FG kicker in the league. Touche!

Nothing wrong with being an offensively oriented team with a great QB. Most of the Superbowl winners in recent years have been.

Both Smith's and Goldson are injured, they are both pro bowlers, and there is nobody in the team (and few in the NFL really) that can fill their shoes. The fact that we would rather play them injured for the entire game than play their backups (if at all possible) really speaks volumes.

The 49ers win on defense. The Packers win on offense, so injuries to our starting defensive players are like injuries to your recievers and QB.

It sounds like the Packers have a lot of bad injuries too, maybe even worse than the 49ers. That is just the breaks.

If we had not lost Alex Smith, we probably would have one the first game against the Rams. If we had not lost Justin Smith, two of our WRs, and our second RB, we probably would have at least had a chance against Seattle. Football is a brutal game and most teams limp into the post season.

What's funny is that it seems like to me, in 2011, we were a relatively healthy team, a Nick Collins serious injury aside. Yet we came into the playoffs and got clobbered. And even though we were 15-1, we never really had that Super Bowl feel. Contrast that to the year before with all the injuries but after the Atlanta playoff game, you just knew we weren't going to be beat.

I think it really says something for player development and having a complete 53 man roster. I used to never even know or care who the last few guys on the roster were. Now it seems like every year, we're counting on production from those guys.

Replaceable because they aren't very good? Because I take offense to that. We have solid depth, but even with our depth we have drop off.

I can see that, but we did have to do without Matthews for those... was it 4 games?

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No, you misunderstand. The vast majority of players on NFL rosters are easily replaceable. There are a handful of super-stars that are not. Remove Matthews from the Packers and the defense falls apart. Yes, we limped along without him, but he is what makes the defense go. Same thing with Rodgers and the defense.

Remove Raji from the Packers, and we'll give up more rushing yards, but the loss would be survivable.

Remove Justin Smith from the 49ers and their defense falls apart. Aldon Smith hasn't had a sack with Smith out of the lineup. They're easier to run on. J Smith isn't rushing the passer himself. He is their Matthews in terms of importance to the defense.

You losing your #3 & #4 WR's are like us losing our #3 & #4 RB's.
Fact is, we have missed about 15 games from our #1 & #2 WR's, but also our #1 RB has been on IR since week 5 injury, and our original starter Starks has missed half the year as well.

We brought Ryan Grant back from retirement and signed a guy from a car dealership.
I think James Jones is the only 1-4 WR of ours who hasn't missed games for us this year, and Jordy right now is more hurt than Aldon Smith is...... he's probably on par with Justin Smith. A shell of their normal self.

I would worry the most over why we are having so many injuries to our O-Line. That is a problem. If your O-Line is getting banged up like that, something is wrong. I think that needs to be addressed in the offseason. If you have a weak O-Line if affects the rest of your offense and increases the chances for injuries.

Jerel Worthy had surgery on his knee today and is expected to miss most of the off-season. Rumors say ACL tear

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Did anyone here ever see the play?
I never saw it... it happened on the 3rd and long that Hayward let the guy get behind him for the big completion by Ponder.
The live footage never showed it, and they never showed a replay that I recall.